1980s

On logging on to Facebook this morning I was surprised to see that 25 years ago today at 5:30pm most people my age were watching Charlene and Scott’s wedding on Neighbours. The only song I could possibly play today therefore was Angry Anderson’s Suddenly, which shot (almost) to the top of the charts as a result of being featured as the wedding song in this episode of the soap opera. And which song kept Suddenly off the top spot? Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s Especially For You, coming soon to 365Songs…

Here’s another song from the musical Chess today: Pity The Child. This is the song performed by Freddie Trumper, the American Chess champion, as he reflects on his difficult childhood and the lack of support from his parents.

This evening I’m off to see a local production of the musical Chess so I’m playing Mountain Duet from the musical today. This is the moment when Anatoly and Florence first realise they have feelings for each other, before they are interrupted by the return of Freddie who has been discussing terms with the media.

What better song to play on Hallowe’en than Michael Jackson’s Thriller? A 14-minute Hallowe’en-style video version was released in 1983 and this was followed by a single released in January 1984. I’ve “swingified” this a bit and I hope you like it.

Today I’m playing one of my favourite ABBA songs, I Let The Music Speak from the 1981 album, The Visitors. This song is described as one of the most theatrical ABBA songs, an early foray into the musical storytelling which developed further in Chess and later in Kristina från Duvemåla. The main message of the song is regardless of good times and bad times, music will never let you down.

Here’s my version of George Michael’s first solo hit, Careless Whisper, dating from 1984. Careless Whisper knocked Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Two Tribes off the #1 spot, and went on to become the fifth best-selling single of 1984, along with Two Tribes, Relax, Do They Know It’s Christmas and I Just Called To Say I Love You.

Today’s song, Me and I, is from the 1980 ABBA album Super Trouper. It tells the story of someone with a split personality, including the line “I am to myself what Jekyll must have been to Hyde”. According to ABBA biographer Carl Magnus Palm, the song’s “split personality theme combined with Frida’s forceful delivery put a welcome darker spin on ABBA‘s largely bright and wholesome universe”. I find the song interesting because of the way it moves between A, E and B, and there’s a great modulation bringing it into F# major. It’s one of the rare songs which is written with clear C# major chords, and probably one of only a handful which features E# notes!

It’s officially “Back to the Future day” – the day Marty and Doc Emmett Brown travelled to in Back to the Future 2. I decided to play the song I always associate with the Back to the Future franchise, Huey Lewis and the News’ The Power of Love, dating from 1985. Although mainly associated with the first film, The Power of Love is the song Marty McFly tries to play on the guitar just after being fired, and it reappears in the final film during the car race.

Today’s song is the classic rock anthem Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey, dating from 1981. I can’t believe I’ve not played this yet, actually! Don’t Stop Believin’ has been a standard of any soft rock compilation since the 80s, and the song gained further exposure in 2009 when it was featured in the pilot episode of the first season of Glee.

Musically it’s actually quite an interesting song: while most rock songs alternative between verses and choruses with maybe a bridge or an instrumental thrown in, the chorus of Don’t Stop Believin’ doesn’t make an appearance until the final 50 seconds. There is a ‘pre-chorus’ – “Strangers, waiting up and down the boulevard…” – but it’s not until the final section of the song after three verses, two pre-choruses and two instrumentals that we hear the “Don’t stop believin'” chorus.